Cletus Akwaya, the government spokesperson of the Benue state where the church building collapsed, said the last night incident may not be linked to any terrorist attack.
At least 22 people were killed and 31 others injured when a church building packed with worshippers collapsed in northern Nigeria during Easter vigil, hours after a powerful car bombing claimed nearly 40 lives in the troubled city of Kaduna.
Cletus Akwaya, the government spokesperson of the Benue state where the church building collapsed, said the last night incident may not be linked to any terrorist attack.
He said there was a heavy downpour before the building of St Robert's Catholic Church located in Adamgbe area of the state caved in, killing 22 worshippers and injuring 31 others.
Fourteen women and six children were among the dead, Akwaya said, adding that the roof of the building was blown off by the wind.
The injured were taken to a government hospital nearby.
The building had more than 3,000 worshipers who were initially holding an outdoor service before a heavy downpour followed by storm led them in.
Violent storms and flooding are often associated with the rainy season in Nigeria, which witnesses heavy downpour across the country.
The incident came hours after a car bombing rocked the northern city of Kaduna, which has been long at the centre of religious, ethnic and political violence in the nation.
At least 38 people were killed and many others injured in the attack, which took place when officials stopped the vehicle as it approached a church, BBC reported.
Just hours afterwards, a bomb exploded in the central city of Jos, injuring several people.
No group had so far claimed responsibility for the blasts, but the Boko Haram sect had threatened a possible bombing during the Easter in some parts of the north. NNNN
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